


i'm willing to wait for it

by savanting



Series: we could be enough (that would be enough) [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Democracy, F/M, Gen, Monarchy, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Other, Politics, Post-Canon, Post-Descendants 3, Short One Shot, United States of Auradon (Disney), United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect, pre-royal wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27379204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting
Summary: Mal wonders about the future of Auradon and the Isle of the Lost - and her place in it.
Relationships: Ben & Mal (Disney: Descendants), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants)
Series: we could be enough (that would be enough) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2000038
Kudos: 34





	i'm willing to wait for it

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any Disney properties.
> 
> This is my Election Day (USA) response (a stress response, if I'm honest) in the form of a fan fic while also being a prologue of sorts to a quasi-political saga that I'm planning for the _Descendants_ world and characters, influenced by _Hamilton_ songs. I'm downtrodden by the idea of politics at the moment, but I want to hope for the best, for the world's sake.
> 
> The title for this fic comes from lyrics in the song "Wait For It" from _Hamilton_ (the 2015 musical).

“Do you ever wonder if a _monarchy_ is the best kind of government for Auradon?”

Mal’s question, soft and hesitant, obviously took Ben by surprise. He lowered the documents he had been reading and looked at her with a straightforward gaze that reminded her of why no one questioned his status as king, even despite his age. There was just something about Ben that spoke of leadership, especially during the quiet moments of contemplation that were unique to leaders of all shades.

“What makes you bring that up?” he asked, his own voice just as soft as hers had been. They were in his office, him sitting back in his desk chair as she stood by the fireplace, her eyes trailing the photographs that showed all of the influential people in Ben’s life – but especially his father and mother, the former king and queen.

Mal hesitated. She was still new to the realm of politics, and even now she was just the King’s Consort: her role in the Council was mostly as a silent witness, absorbing the concerns of the citizenry through the various council members who doubled as Auradon’s royalty and elite. The only one who had ever come from nothing was Sultana Jasmine’s husband Aladdin, and he himself did not have the same clout that his wife did.

But Mal had made up for her lack of knowledge with study – long hours, sleepless hours, where she went over tomes in the library. Evie had told her the dark circles under her eyes weren’t worth the price, but Mal had stubbornly begun to amass opinions and thoughts on government – and what exactly Auradon was doing for its citizens. Or, rather, how little it really represented them in the long run.

Mal leaned against the nearby armchair and resisted the urge to pick at her fresh manicure. “I don’t know,” she said, hedging a tiny bit. “I started thinking about it during the protests when the Isle was reopened to the mainland. Auradon’s citizens wanted to have their say in whether the Isle should be recognized as a part of Auradon. Should that kind of decision really fall on a king and his advisors?”

Ben ran a hand down his face. “Those are big questions,” he said slowly, “and I don’t know if we’ll have the answers anytime soon. I’ve often thought what would happen if Auradon became a democracy. But people are scared of change. They don’t welcome it as much as they may think they would.”

“But do kings and queens really have the right to decide what’s best?” she pressed. “I just remember living on the Isle, and it was chaos – controlled chaos, really, but my mother ruled as if she were a queen. I just always wondered what the Isle kids would have done if they had more of a say in what happened.” _What happened to them and their lives._

“You’re not on the Isle anymore, Mal,” Ben said softly, and Mal’s first instinct was to protest. _”It was my home, and I still care about what happens to everyone there.”_

Mal steeled herself: just because Ben was her fiancé did not mean she would avoid speaking her mind. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just be one part of a whole to have a say rather than the deciding factor?”

She knew from her studies that people liked to keep hold of power once they had it in their hands – but she didn’t want to think of Ben that way. Not her soft, kind, wouldn’t-harm-a-bug Ben. But he had been raised by different hands than she had. He may not have been tough or calculating or even street-smart, but he was privileged with the views that came from such a lofty height.

Ben stood up and circled around the desk to stand beside her. “What are we really talking about, Mal?” he asked, gently taking one of her hands and pressing his fingertips to the place where her pulse raced most. “Are you afraid to be queen?”

At first she thought she might laugh. How _absurd_ that a villain’s daughter would shy away from being queen. But there was a kernel of fear there, wedged in a knot in her chest. _Could_ she be a good queen to Auradon? Did she have that right?

And did Auradon deserve more than what she and Ben could ever hope to offer?

“I’m not exactly afraid,” she decided to say, “but I think Auradon – and the Isle – should have their say about our policies.”

Ben leveled her with those eyes she had seen lock on the council members’ faces time and again during meetings. “Speaking as a king to one of his citizens, what exactly are you proposing?”

Mal kept her gaze steady on his. “I think Auradon should have elections for the council members.”

Even as she voiced the words, she saw the way Ben’s face tensed, as if she had said something that surprised yet bothered him at the same time. She knew it was a risky opinion to throw around: Auradon had been built by its royalty, and the royalty reigned supreme over all. It only made sense with that kind of foundation that the royals would be the first people to be consulted over what occurred in the kingdom as far as policy and law.

If Auradon could not be a true democracy for many generations to come, Mal at least wanted to leave behind a future that held the promise of people being able to voice their opinions as citizens. They were not simply people to be governed: each one was an individual with a family, a purpose, a life to uphold.

Just because Mal was queen did not mean that she wanted to use that power for show alone.

To her surprise, Ben’s lips formed a smile – one that was fond and admiring. She wondered if she had actually surprised him with the turn of conversation. “I don’t know how the current Council would feel about that,” he said, his tone thoughtful, “but I would consider it. How about we work on a proposal together to show the Council at one of the next meetings?”

With that reaction, Mal thought the conversation had gone a bit _too_ well. “You aren’t just humoring me, are you?”

“I wouldn’t take a stab at your intelligence like that,” he said, his smile turning into a frown. “I respect what you have to say, Mal. I may not agree with everything, but we’re partners – and soon you’ll be queen."

 _Queen of Auradon and the Isle._ The words were as heavy as she imagined they would feel. But the crown wasn’t the only weight she would carry as queen.

Mal wound her fingers through Ben’s. “When I’m queen, you’ll have to stay on your toes, or I’ll blow you away.”

The teasing lilt to her voice caused Ben’s smile to return. “I’m up for the challenge, I think. Are you?”

She took a deep, steadying breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” _I hope._

The answers wouldn’t come easily – there was so much to do about the joining hands between Auradon and the Isle – but Mal would fight for her voice in this new landscape.

The people of the Isle alone depended on that very fact.


End file.
